


I got my eyes on you all the time

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Uglies Series - Scott Westerfeld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-20
Updated: 2007-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 02:48:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1627589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tally and Shay, post-Uglies, pre-Pretties.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I got my eyes on you all the time

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my recipient, who allowed me to write in this AWESOME fandom for a fantastic ship (or non-ship). This was much fun, and I do hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Written for Amy

 

 

The room smelled of antiseptic and rainbows, which was bogus since no one could smell rainbows.

"I can, though," croaked a voice Tally recognized as her own.

"Is she awake?" said a familiar voice, the soft, feminine tone full of hopefulness. Opening her eyes, Tally saw Shay smiling down at her. "Hey, Squint."

"Shay?" Tally's throat was dry, her voice like a crumbly's. She tried to lift an arm, but found it impossible to do. Her body ached all over, as though she'd fallen off a hoverboard during a serious trick. "What's going on?"

"Don't want to spoil the surprise," said Shay, a pretty-making grin spreading across her face. "You'll see soon enough."

A nurse standing next to Shay offered Tally a cup and a straw, and Tally drank, swallowing so quickly that she choked.

"Careful," said the nurse, a middle-pretty with turquoise eyes so soothing that Tally felt herself relaxing under the nurse's gaze. "You've had good amount of work done and your body is still healing. You'll need to take it easy over the next few days."

Shay grinned down at her. "You'll never believe how you look. It's amazing, Tally-wa."

"Really?" said Tally. She wanted to reach up and touch her face, to look at herself in a mirror and see what the doctors had been able to do to her old ugly face. With effort she managed to lift one of her hands up, but the agony of it made her drop her hand back down to touch the bed.

"You need to relax," the nurse said. "I'm going to get the doctor. He'll want to take a look at you now that you're awake."

Tally watched as the nurse left the room, her heart racing. She itched to get up and move around, to test out her new body, to see how people reacted to her now that she was pretty. Turning to Shay, she said, "What do I look like?"

"Like a pretty," said Shay. "If I could be anyone but me, Tally-wa, I'd be you the way you look now. You'll put the others to shame!"

Even grinning hurt, Tally found, but she couldn't help it. "When do I get to leave?"

"It depends on what the doctor says. Most people only stay a few days; some get out in less than 24 hours."

"I'm pretty," said Tally, her insides tightening as they did when she hoverboarded. Her fingers tingled with the anticipation of feeling her own skin smooth, all blotches and zits removed. She was going to get to touch herself, to feel all her new parts. If she'd been able to lift her arms all the way up, she'd have hugged herself, she was sure. "I'm pretty."

"Your face is totally jealous-making," said Shay. Something about the way she said it made Tally's smile falter, but she nodded anyway. "Just wait and see."

Tally spent the rest of the morning talking to Shay about her friends in New Pretty Town, the Crims. Shay told Tally about the bashes that lasted all day, the boys she'd taken to the pleasure gardens and the gallons of champagne she and her friends drank each night. Tally listened as Shay talked about the tricks she and the Crims had pulled, each one better than the last, but none better than the ones she and Shay had pulled in ugly days. Finally, Tally yawned, her mouth aching less than it had that morning, but still hurting enough to make her wince.

"You better get your beauty sleep," Shay said with a wink. "I'll come back in the morning and fill you in on tonight's bash."

"Bubbly-making." Tally's eyelids felt so heavy that she had to close her eyes. She heard Shay say softly, "Sweet dreams, Tally-wa," followed by the opening and closing of the door to her room.

"Come on, Tally-wa," said Shay. "Let me see."

Tally stared at herself in the mirror. She'd been out of the hospital a week and still wasn't used to her new body. The bathing suit she wore clung to the new curves of her hips and pronounced bust, significantly larger since the operation. It was like looking at someone else, Tally thought. "It's totally bogus, Shay-la."

"Let me see."

"No," said Tally. "I'm changing. I look like a freak."

"Don't you dare, Tally-wa. You've been through 14 different suits in the last half hour. The hole in the wall is going to breakdown if you don't give it a rest."

Maybe there was something wrong with the mirror, thought Tally. Then again, maybe she should let Shay in. Shay always had the right ideas, about fashion, about boys, about everything. Tally considered herself lucky. She didn't know what she would have done without Shay guiding her through her transition.

"All right," said Tally. "Come in."

Shay peeked around the corner of the Shoji Screen in Tally's room. "Let's see it."

The suit was black with ties around the neck, back and at the hips, and it rolled through the colors of the rainbow as Tally moved. Tally strode forward and back before stopping in front of Shay.

"See?" said Tally. "Totally ugly-making."

Shay shook her head. "Tally-wa, you are totally bubbly-making in that suit. You'll be lucky if you get out of the bash alive in that - people will be all over you."

Tally faced the mirror and looked at herself again. "You think so?"

"I know so," said Shay. Her tone reminded Tally of the way she'd sounded back at the hospital, and Tally turned to look at her. Shay's eyes were full of a hunger Tally didn't recognize, Shay's tongue running over her lips. It seemed odd that Shay should have such an intense response to a bathing suit, Tally thought and then decided she was being totally bogus about Shay. Without Shay, Tally would never have been introduced to the Crims. Without Shay, Tally probably would have stayed locked up in her room after the operation, New Pretty Town too nervous-making to be explored alone.

As Tally berated herself, she caught sight of something in the mirror. Shay was reaching out to Tally, fingers outstretched, as though to touch the bathing suit. Tally held her breath. When Shay's hand finally settled on the tie on Tally's hip, Tally felt her heart stop.

"Tally-wa," said Shay, "you don't know how bubbly-making you really are."

Shay's voice sounded far away somehow, as if she'd been standing at the other side of the room instead of inches from Tally's body. Tally watched Shay's movements in the mirror, trying not to stir as Shay's fingers moved from the tie along the waistband of the suit, grazing Tally's skin as she worked her way around to the other side. Stomach muscles clenching, Tally waited to see what Shay would do next.

Tally's breath hitched as Shay placed her other hand on Tally's neck, brushing away the hair that had fallen out of Tally's ponytail. Tally watched, dumbstruck, as Shay traced a finger along Tally's neck to her shoulder, Shay's prettiness suddenly morphing into something that made Tally want to yell or scream or do something, anything, but instead she just stood there, stood there watching as Shay continued to explore Tally's new pretty body.

Shay placed both hands on Tally's hips and ran her tongue along the top of Tally's shoulders, tasting Tally's skin with as much gusto as a connoisseur might. Shay's hands inched down until they settled on Tally's thighs, and Tally suddenly felt her throat go dry. Tally parted her lips, her heart going from a standstill to a beat so fast it hurt inside Tally's chest. She wanted to say something, but still she stayed silent.

Please let her stop, Tally thought. Please. Please make her stop.

The fear hurt more than anything, more than everything, really, and Tally wondered why she felt something like this. If pretties didn't get scared, why was she shaking?

At that moment, Shay met Tally's gaze in the mirror. Later, Tally wondered if Shay had seen what Tally was thinking, how frightened Tally was, or if Shay had just thought better of what she was doing, realized it wasn't right. In any case, Shay jumped back as if Tally had bitten her, stumbling but managing to stay on her feet as she did so.

Tally turned to face her, trying to keep the fright from her voice. "You all right, Shay-la?"

When it came, Shay's response sounded false. "Bubbly."

Tally felt a chill go up her spine, and she shifted away from Shay. "I'm going to take this off and get back into my clothes." When Shay didn't move, Tally turned to face her. "Could you wait outside?"

"What?" said Shay, followed by, "Oh. Oh, sure."

When Tally came out from behind the screen, Shay was gone. Tally shivered, though the room temperature was perfect. She wondered where Shay had gone and when she would be back. She wondered-

Her interface ring pinged and Tally jumped. Checking it, she found the invite for another bash for that night. All at once, thoughts of the previous few moments flittered away to be replaced by concerns about what she should wear to this bash. Tally thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers.

She would call Shay. Shay always knew what was bubbly-making on Tally.

 


End file.
